Spark
by Fraye
Summary: Hi! My name is Artemis O' Donnell. My team and I are finally on the level of James McCloud's team, we got a mission to go to Venom with them. Leo and Jenny aren't too enthusiastic, but I can't wait! I guess I just have to wait and see. No problem!
1. Prologue

I'll get back to them… soon. Don't critique me on placement of ellipsis with stream-of-consciousness pwease, they're placed for specific reasons. XD Well, anyways this is the prequel to Scars; I'm kinda sorta making it into a trilogy. Since I screwed Scars straight to hell, and I could've done so much more, but it would've killed the flow and any chance of the story itself seeing the light of day. When I screw that sort of thing up, I end up revising the entire story and… I don't like the final product. I love writing, but if I'm not at least seeing some way to make it work, it won't see the light of day. I have at least 500,000 words on this computer of writing that will NEVER show up on , there was a good 2-3 mill on the old computer before it imploded. Well, this will be a multi-chapter story, you all should obviously know the ending if you've read Scars. If you're reading this first, you may or may not want to hold off on that. This will be, for the most part, be done in a different format for a few of the chapters.

* * *

Dear Diary:-Why is this here? Can't I write my own goddam salutations? -xXx-

Today, Star Wolf has gotten its first mission. We're goin to be flying alongside Star Fox to investigate Venom.

I don't really know what to say… we're on the same level as the same team that started us. I wonder what James looks like in person… Maybe he's… no. I DON'T KNOW!!!

It's just so overwhelming, my hero is gonna fight by my side. I wonder if he's gay or not, it'd be nice to have someone who I could relate to. Not like Jenny or Leo, both of them are downers and would love me to go down in the flames.

What's gonna happen on my first mission. It's my first time doing anything dangerous, maybe they'll be a big laser fight! It'd be awesome if there was a chance to prove to James I'm tough enough.

Okay Artemis, calm down, just wait and see.

Oh, yeah! They did a segment on James' son today, James Jr. He turned 8 today, apparently he looks a lot like his dad. They had a couple pictures, but everything was blurred out. Vixy didn't want their son on air. That lucky bitch.

-Artemis

20

PS: I wonder what kind of build James has, maybe he's a bodybuilder.

* * *

This is gonna be, I think, my first attempt at a true back-story. I'm going to go into the younger, more hyper/bipolar Wolf, aka Artemis. And no, Leo was not a typo; I'm also creating the original Star Wolf team. I'm basically doing a whole bunch of crazy all at once. Sorry that it was so short, especially compared to my rant at the beginning and end.


	2. Anxiety

Okay, sorry if I fail at all in anything in this story, I over-thought what I'd have to be doing in this story, so I'm a bit jittery altogether. I realized I have to explain just about everything about Wolf. From his eye, to his personality, to his choices. Fun, fun. Well, regardless, I'm going to enjoy this story. I'm basically writing a 'happy' Wolf. Wheeeeeeeeee! Enjoy~

* * *

I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my life. There's only five minutes until James is supposed to arrive. Don't do anything stupid, don't do anything stupid, keep your head Artemis.

Pacing, why do I always end up pacing? I glanced up, watching the sky through heavy-lidded eyes. What if he doesn't like me? Damn, damn; damn- damn… DAMN! …Maybe he'll find violet eyes attractive, if not gay. Damn…

The defunct bickering of Leo and Jenny was shoved to the back of my mind as my ears pricked. The sound of three ships riding on the wind caressed the air above me, and I felt my ears flatten to my head as I was drawn into my happy place.

The image of me and James kissing was broken as his voice practically split it in half, his deep, sexy, throaty, controlling, sexy… sexy voice slamming right through my thoughts, "Wolf, lion, and cheetah. Before we start talking about the mission, would you like anything specific to be called?"

Almost instantly, Leo and Jenny interjected with their names, basically melding into one unholy word. As much as I hated them, I needed them to have ever gotten this chance. Wouldn't it just be a good laugh if this finally got me away from them?

James dark green eyes, rimmed in the cool black of his sunglasses, beat down on me. I squirmed under the strength of his gaze, and couldn't find any way to choke up that god-forsaken name of mine.

After a few seconds, James glanced away, finally giving me a chance to size him up. He was nothing special for a fox, this much I knew, but he was fucking stunning regardless.

His dark red fur caught the dimming sunlight, just so much as his sunglasses or eyes. He had on a pair of blue denim jeans, worn and torn like none I had ever seen; this along with a white muscle shirt… I brushed my arm across my mouth to soak up the drool; and his flight jacket adorned his perfectly sculpted body from the gods.

To his left was a hare, less than pleasing to the eye, and a pig whom could die for all I care. Names… Peppy and Pigma, that's right.

"Wolf, Jenny, and Leo," James spoke after I completely murdered my internal dignity. Ouch. "I'm sure you understand the risks that come with this mission and the chance that we may or may not come back alive, correct?"

I nodded as I tried to shove the shirtless image away.

"Good, then let's talk strategy. We will be taking the Great Fox, any cruiser you have will be left behind on Corneria. As long as we're on this mission, you will address to me as Captain McCloud, no exceptions unless said otherwise. Wolf and I will collaborate on attack strategies, but that will be the extent of team to team interaction outside of the battlefield. However, I can not control how you act while we travel. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the company of the Star Fox team, and that this union between Fox and Wolf will be pleasurable for both teams. To my left is Peppy Hare, to my right is Pigma Dengar."

"To my left is Jenny Tay, my right is Leo Samaki. I hope you enjoy my, I mean our, company." CRAP!

James cracked a grin in response, placing his hand out in an ages-old offer. I pushed out my shaky hand, wrapping it in his hand. The swift rise and fall of our hands, completely controlled by his strong grip, set my senses off, leaving me star-struck. He had a strong, but soft, grip on my hand, and it made me think of holding hands for the love of god. Why did I think James McCloud was holding my hand?

He pulled away, and I swore I could see him wink behind the tinted glass. Kiss him you retard!

I swallowed my pride, my fear, my inhibitions, my… everything and lunged forwards, planting a small kiss atop his muzzle, leaving me scared to death by what his reaction could be. What if he rejected me, what if we lost this mission because I'm so fucking stupid? God damn I'm-

Everything I was thinking just vanished as a chuckle broke the ice. He was laughing?

* * *

P.S, the journal format is only going to appear in the story periodically, marking spots where it's slow except for a few major events, which Wolf, Artemis, can summarize in a few short paragraphs. Otherwise it'll be stream-of-consciousness merged with psychotic first person that you all have known me for. I did check New Warrior, and a similar writing style was there, so don't be like "Huh?" on meh. Well anyways, that's chapter 1 of Spark. Excuse the fail, I wrote this when I was all jittery for the first test I actually have cared about since I started school. It's a miracle that I care at all. I hope you all enjoyed it, it's sort of reminisce of First Date with the sexual themes and such, but so long as I don't get too dirty it won't warrant an M rating.


	3. Victory

Journal entry time! Well, I'm trying to hit a bunch of different events in a short time window, so you have to love cramming. Some of you might know where this is going… *coughSwipercough*. Well, hope you all enjoy this.

* * *

Dear Diary: ~xXx~

*Does a dance* James doesn't hate me, and since I 'lost' my keys to my space fighter, he's gonna let me stay with him and Vixy for the next few days, at least until our mission starts. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll find a way to get Vixy and James separated.

That reminds me, the first day I got here was just a big treat. For the first hour Vixy had been glaring at me; then, she vanished. The next time I saw her was when I went into the kitchen, my life flashing before my eyes, there's a knife two inches from my face with an incredibly pissed Vixy staring me down. The words still echo like the constant reminder of my demise, "If you try anything funny with my husband I'll carve you for Halloween in a few weeks." As soon as I tried to deny it, she came back with, "Oh don't you think I don't notice the way you look at him? You walk around the house with a limp to try and hide the fact that your hard every time he's in the same room." Then, the knife was down and we were on our 'merry' ways.

Let's try and get on a better note… aka James. Maybe if he doesn't hate me, then it means that he likes me. The laugh wasn't mean, it was happy. We got here yesterday, and I'm staying in the guest room. Fox is the nicest kid you'd ever meet, he's gonna turn 14 soon.

I don't really know what to do about Vixy, her and James are always together. It'd take a miracle to get them apart to have an opportunity to actually talk to James about it. She's already giving me the evil eye, which is actually kind of scary. *shudder*

I'm gonna have to close off soon, Fox is crying. Did I mention I've been added to the routine for helping him? The kid's pretty nice, very mature, just… this whole cry and you shall be waited on shit. I guess he got used to it when he was younger, but for fucks sake, it's annoying. He's still young enough that he has the high pitch squeal of a four year old little girl.

See ya.

Artemis

-Pleased with himself

* * *

Little more stability this time, not as much, but a little more. Gonna shove it down Will's throat before I post it. Lalalalalala… REVIEW! Well, this should be the last journal entry for a while. Expect full length chapters that don't fail! Don't yell at me about grammar, you know the drill.


	4. Jealousy

Well, I seem to be at a blockage with my one-shots, so I'll just skip to updating Spark again. I will start On the Rocks again soon, the only problem with it is the fact that it's third person; the jump between first and third is really difficult for me as you that read Forever saw. I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

The constant sound of air being sliced by the wooden blades of the ceiling fan echoed in the air as I watched the shadows dance on the cerulean ceiling. These were the most peaceful hours of the day, letting me truly think.

It came at a cost though.

James, Vixy, and Fox had all left for dinner, and I said I'd stay home.

I didn't want a knife through my chest.

The heat kicked back on, fighting the ever-coming chill of winter as autumn hung in the air. Golden leaves illuminated the sky as winds drew their shadows across my eyes.

I hate the idea of being alone.

I hate the cold.

The wind whipped at the window, startling me as the glass threatened to break under the intense howling. My hands cupped over my ears as I waited for it to stop.

Flakes of snow, the first snowfall on Corneria, started sticking on the roof, one by one. The fresh layer of snow, virgin white on the artificial green. They have the nicest house I've ever seen and they can't afford real grass? Even I have real grass at my house, and I get maybe 2,000 credits a month.

The sound of the car pulling up, a black SUV if I remember correctly, started to make itself known.

Fuck.

Footsteps, laughing. She's got it all and she doesn't deserve a single god damn thing.

I could hear the door downstairs give a resounding click as it shut. The sound of Vixy and James and Fox laughing suddenly burst through my head. My paw clenched on the bed, claws sheathed through force of habit.

Damn it all to hell.

I glanced out my door, a perfect view of the living room, and with it; the front door. Vixy's paw wrapped around James' waist, Fox ducked low over his shoulders as he sat in on his piggy-back ride. They were family…

I heard the sound of tearing as my claws unsheathed. I shifted my body to cover the tear, glaring at Vixy through narrow slits.

The only response I got was her tongue lolled from her mouth, in fake as fuck ecstasy as she shot a look at me, gloating and laughing in my face.

I'll get the last laugh. Ha, ha, ha!

So fucking funny, god damn hysterical. Look at me laugh, just look at this idiot laugh as he slowly turns into a home-wrecking whore. Ha!

Bitch got everyone's fantasy and now he could never act out on any feelings he could have for me because he has a kid and trapped in wedlock. I'll forge her signature on the divorce sheets if that's what it takes.

James was smiling though. He was happy. Fox's paws cupped over James' eyes, enticing a laugh from the older male.

Deep and throaty; sexy. Loved his laugh, made my day; made me smile when that bitch had already ruined everything.

Fox looked a lot like his dad; they'll probably sound the same and everything when he grows up.

James and Vixy were bound at the waist, inseparable… perfect. They were made for each other.

What does that make me? Am I just the obsessed fan-boy that'll never get his shot? She knows I can't have him, so she's just making it worse.

Shit.

The thought of laughing hurt; yet, despite all of this, I felt a small chuckle rise up and make itself known.

A tear joined it in a dying effort to soothe me. Too late.

Maybe it isn't…

* * *

A more calm side of Wolf is doable at times. Once again, most of you should be able to tell what could or couldn't come from this. In a few chapters, I think chapter 5, the mission should start. If people complain about lack of plot, then they aren't looking hard enough, because a plot has been established, just not moving that fast. Will, that means you too; the slow Will.


	5. Malice

This was it…

I stood next to the car, watching it. Maybe I was scared of it igniting without it starting. I had rigged the transmission so the moment it started, it'd ignite the gas tank.

Is it going to work?

Without a second look, I darted back into the house and up the stairs; 'to check on Fox,' I assured myself. I was only advancing the lie. Each resounding thud of my pawsteps on the stairs beat my already ringing head.

Like clockwork; considering it was 4 P.M, I could hear Fox cry out from his crib.

My turn.

As I reached the top, I was slightly disturbed when he had stopped. Vixy was cradling him in her arms. Nononononononononononononono……..

FUCK!!!

I stood at the top of the stairs, glaring at her as I realized the plan had just gone in the gutter; just like that, it was done.

James' voice was at the back of my head when he called out to Vixy from their bedroom, "I'm gonna go to the store and get something for Dinner tonight, kay?"

…

He shot out the door, leaving me spinning as colors shot across my vision. I teetered on the top, starting to sink backwards. My hand shot forwards, looking for anything; anything, to grasp for support.

My hand fell into the hand of another.

Oh.

I went down faster and harder as me and James took turns hitting the stairs with full force. Each connection darkened my vision a little bit; until it had nearly reached black.

My arms had wrapped around James, for security… I think.

We had reached the bottom, James on bottom as he slid away from the stairs, a pained groan erupting from his lungs.

"Are you okay!?" Vixy shouted down the stairs over the everlasting sound of Fox crying.

I groaned from atop James, squinting through heavy eyes; three contrasting images of him danced across my vision.

I heard heels tapping the stairs without even a second's worth of a pause between steps. Vixy didn't even say anything about our position, didn't criticize me for hugging him, simply saying, "I'll go to the store; you two rest here."

My heart skipped a beat as soon as she said that. I glanced up with lazy lidded eyes, seeing her flattening any unkempt hair. The keys dangled from her left hand, making an irritating sound with every stroke.

A lapse in judgment made me feel like… maybe this is wrong. My mouth opened, as the words started to form on my lips; but, she was gone as soon as, "Wait," escaped.

My head fell into James' shirt as I sobbed; heaving gasps escaping my lungs every time I tried to steady myself. He let out a small breath of air, a gasp, maybe a sigh, I don't know.

Within the next few seconds, his hands were massaging my back as he tried to soothe me, "It's okay Wol-"

Time stopped dead in its tracks as the door to the house shut.

The silence continued to hang in the air, ominous and foreign as the door to the car shut.

I was scared out of my mind. If this was traced back to me, it was done for; I'd have nothing. No James, no mission…

The front door opened again, "Forgot my purse," she called out. The purse she spoke of with a metallic silver clutch that never left her grasp.

"Wait!" I shouted as the door opened again.

It didn't shut in the next few seconds, finally getting a response, "It'll have to wait; Fox is out of juice."

The door shut, and I scrambled up and to the door. As soon as the knob was in my grasp I had gotten the door open. The car door shut as I darted down the porch steps and to the driveway.

Too late.

The ignition growled before a large burst of flame erupted from the car. The burst of it sent me flying backwards into one of the porch pillars, shattering it on contact as the porch roof groaned.

"Please don't fall," I pleaded as the gutter collapsed to the yard below, spilling leaves and what looked like two bouncy balls.

Black crept into my vision, James' voice far off, but still a scream, "VIXY!"

It had been followed mere moments later with a pained shout, "Wolf!"

Complete darkness.

Painful darkness.

My head hurt like fuck.


	6. Fear

Beep-

Where was I…? Why was there so much pain? The almost non-existent, "Mommy," that left my mouth only left me in more pain than I had been in before. Before I could open my eyes, I had to squeeze them shut to shake off the pain.

Beep-

Beep-

I glanced at my surroundings, a dirty white with little to no décor. The only color in the room was the small vase of flowers to my right, a small 'Get Well!' card attached to it with a piece of twine.

Beep-

I opened my eyes to scan the card… James.

Beep-

James…

Beep-

Beep-

Beep-

Beep…

The pain was ebbing, but practically every beep of the heart monitor brought the headache back to full force; except, full force wasn't quite so full with each succession. And as the pain was swallowed, I got the courage to look into the mirror, tucked into a basket under the table the vase was lying on.

Beep-

There was a jagged scar running across my cheek and ears were torn. They could heal the wounds almost instantaneously at the cost that we had scar tissue. I must've been in a severe state if they used it.

Beep-

Or… James may've pulled some strings.

No…

Beep-

That fucking sound made me want to cry… it did make me cry. A single tear broke the dam and allowed the torrent to pass through as I sobbed through my frustration. The entire god damn room smelled like him but my scent was masked by the scent of death, the stale, bitter tang of blood and decay. They were at the funeral for Vixy. I killed her… but, I didn't mean it.

Beep-

I tore the IVs from my arm and yanked the plug on the heart monitor as I threw myself up and looked for my clothes. Every god damn step hurt. I wasn't visibly damaged, but the blast had to have left me sore. Then my face, my face… fuck!

I found the casual outfit I had been wearing, clean despite the stale scent of blood. I switched from my hospital gown to my clothes, trying to avoid looking at my body for fear it too had been scarred beyond recognition.

I slipped from the hospital unnoticed. It wasn't the public hospital; it was definitely nicer than the clinic. I'm assuming James paid for that too.

Why am I chasing a _widow? _The emphasis on widow made me want to cry again. My eyes were already red, puffy, and sore. I was really sore.

I knew why I did it, but it was such a stupid reason. Killing over hopes that I could change him, be there and have him love me… damn, he's straight, so undeniably straight.

A glimmer that I chased for fucking nothing… and now… now… damn it! I wasn't even old enough to drink but that's all I wanted, was to drown my sorrows in alcohol until I fucking died from alcohol poisoning. That'd just about settle it, balance out that crime I commit against Vixy, against James.

As I got through the doorways into the parking lot, I couldn't help but take in deep breaths, the chilly bite of the wind waking me up and making my lungs feel like they were alive.

My wrist communicator, on my wrist, was giving me a small 3D projection of a map. I could easily spot James' house, with its entire look of destruction. I quietly trudged on to my destination.

The small beep of my communicator alerted me of a message, and as I glanced at it, my heart soared. James didn't know anything about what had happened, and the text was annotated with a 'Love James,' rather than a 'Sincerely James.' It took all I had -which wasn't much after the hospital visit- to _not_ dance.


End file.
